A children's choir from the U.S. state of Utah has captivated crowds during their eye-opening visit to China, creating moments of connection between cultures.
The young singers performed their beautiful renditions of a Chinese song in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven, a major historical attraction in Beijing.
With nearly half of its members coming to China for the first time, the choir explored the city's iconic landmarks including the majestic Great Wall and the magnificent Forbidden City, experiencing the charm of Chinese culture.
While the historical architecture left them in awe, the adorable pandas at a zoo won their hearts.
The choir members also delighted in Chinese cuisine, from Sichuan-style spicy hot pot, to Cantonese shrimp dumplings and Beijing-style noodles.
"Honestly, I didn't expect to like a lot of the foods. The foods are a lot different than I thought they would be. But I love all the food and I'm going to start making some traditional Chinese food at my house because I've loved it," said Perry, a member of the One Voice Children's Choir.
Amid the China travel boom, a growing number of overseas visitors are gaining new cultural insights like these as the country welcomes the fostering of bonds between peoples.
US children's choir sings Chinese song in Beijing, builds bonds
The first Brazil-China Forum on Trade and Tourism was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gathering around 250 business leaders, government officials, and investors from both countries to explore avenues for strengthened cooperation.
The forum was part of the Brazilian platform TursiMall, which was held from Thursday to Saturday last week. It marked the first dedicated bilateral forum on tourism, commerce, and creative industries, particularly in the film sector.
The event, which featured a series of speakers and panel discussions, was supported by China National Offshore Oil Corporation and China Mobile.
Participants discussed a broad spectrum of topics, with particular emphasis on accelerating a strategic move to promote currency autonomy.
"China has created a synchronicity among the BRICS countries in a way that will make this new form of compensation intensify. As it intensifies, more and more people will be freed from the prison (of the dollar)," said Adair Carneiro, president of the Federation of Foreign Trade Chambers.
Tourism was also a key focus at the forum. Brazil has reciprocated China's visa-free travel policy for Brazilians, aiming to boost bilateral tourism and economic exchange.
Wang Haitao, China's Vice Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, believes this will generate significant economic benefit for both countries.
"Last year, 100,000 Chinese visited Brazil. It was a record even compared to the population of China," said Wang.
The event was expected to generate up to 25 million reais, or about 5 million U.S. dollars, in new business deals, as delegates learned of each other's core industries and market focuses.
Organizers also announced plans to host a Brazilian edition of the Canton Fair, one of the world's largest trade exhibitions, scheduled to take place in Rio in November.
Living up to the forum's stated goal of "generating concrete business opportunities," several agreements were signed by both Chinese and Brazilian business leaders, whose optimism is clearly on the rise.
Inaugural Brazil-China forum on trade, tourism sparks opportunities for cooperation
